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I am trying for the first time to boot my Windows 8.1 laptop from the internal CD-DVD drive. I have a bootable CD in there, and yes, I do have the bios set with CDROM drive as first in the list to boot from. But when I try to boot from the CD, it won't boot, instead the computer gives me this message:
"ATAPI CDROM has been blocked by the current security policy."
(Its actually a DVD drive.) All it lets me do at that message is hit the Enter key to OK the message, and then it boots from the hard drive.
I have no idea where "security policy" settings are or what they are set for. What do I have to do to get this to boot?
This is a Gateway laptop, 2.2 MHz Intel Pentium processor, 4 GB RAM, 64 bit OS, with Windows 8.1 fully updated, and Windows Defender running and fully updated.
I have already looked everywhere I can find, but nothing seems to address this message or issue, as follows:
*I went to Help menu to look up "Security Policy." While the computer is giving me the message about "security policy," the Help menu has no idea what "security policy" is, it just comes up blank!
*I went to Control Panels/System and Security/Action Center/Change Windows Settings/Smart Screen/... All I found in there that might be involved is a setting to block anything downloaded from the Internet until I give administrator access. Well, the booting issue didn't allow me to give administrator access (yes, I am the administrator) when I tried to boot, I only could hit the enter key to OK. Nonetheless, I changed to: notify me but proceed (not a quote).
With that, I tried again, but it still would not boot from the CD, got the same message, so that setting is not it. I changed the setting back.
I see no other setting there that could be related by even a stretch. And the control panels should be dealing with the OS anyway, and this is happening while trying to boot from the OS on the CD, not the hard drive. That is, this is something in the root.
*I then went into bios area (UEFI Firmware) by sweeping in from the right and into Settings/Change PC settings ..., and found a tab in bios for Security. Looking there, there is a list of things, but it lets me access only "Supervisor Password." It was currently set as "clear," meaning no password. I left it as that -- surely I can't need a password just to boot from a CD, and the message I got in trying to boot from the CD did not allow me to enter a password.
Other settings in the Security tab were not accessible. The only ones they included that might be remotely related were:
*Password on Boot, which was set as no password. But again, the message I get with this issue does not ask for nor allow me to enter a password.
*Secure Boot Mode: Standard (It does not let me access to change that.)
Some others also were in the list that are not worth listing, not even vaguely related.
I then went into some other things elsewhere in the main settings called Startup Settings. The only thing in there that sounded the least bit vaguely related was "Enable boot logging." I punched F2 to go into that, but the machine instead restarted, and did not start from the CDROM, same message again. I went back to it, and it is still listed as Enable boot logging, does not instead say Disable - so I don't know if anything even got changed. I did not touch it again, left it as-is.
So, that's it. I've checked all the settings I know about. Nothing about this bit about "ATAPI CDROM has been blocked by current security policy."
I tested with two DVDs that I have booted from in the past on other Windows machines -- they also would not boot, but they did not give me that message.
I note, all three CDs/DVDs are being read fine by the DVD drive once the machine is booted in Windows 8.1 from the hard drive - so the issue is not that the DVD drive can't read the disks.
Where is this "security policy" set?! What do I need to do to get this to boot from the CD?
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
Hi,
So everything is back to normal... or at least working to your satisfaction ?
You seem to know more about manipulating your email than I do, but though I may be able to help by describing what my screen looks like !
I know how that kind of conversation goes... Not so much with Microsoft, but with my internet provider sometimes..
Hi,
Acronis has the ability to "Make It Fit", so it should be able to put your backup image on a 100GB partition on your external drive...
That is actually one of the main benefits of using Acronis...
That is up to you if you want to test it... The external drive may not boot anyway because of your UEFI Bios... Booting from a USB HDD may not be an acceptable method.
I wouldn't use the "FILE" method for anything... The only exception may be if you were to delete an important folder or something, you should be able to recover it using the "File" function...
I don't think the machine will boot with any type of "File" based use...
Whether you are saving files or trying to Recover Files...
In my opinion, that is something that is specifically intended to backup documents, pictures, and stuff like that...
When you do the upgrade to Win 10 it will probably make Gateway's process useless...
In fact, the upgrade from Win 8.1 to Win 10 on my new tablet actually eliminated the partition that was needed for the process to work...
Call it insurance... that is pretty much the point of everything you are doing...
Might as well cover all the bases... Blank DVD's are cheap, so it's just the time involved to do it...
In reality, you could always "Recover" the image you just made sometime in the future and restore your ability to make them...
I learned a long time ago that when it comes to tinkering with computers and having good backups, it's better safe than sorry...
The day may come when you decide that you want to just start over with a fresh machine... The DVDs would make that possible...
You could always just do a Clean Install of Windows, but you will lose any preinstalled stuff furnished by Gateway... Although, some or all of it may be available to download from Gateway...
The way the process works on my HP Laptop is that the DVDs are created in two sets.
The first set install windows and sets up the partitions on your HDD... The second set then configures Windows to the way HP had it set up, and installs any of HP's preinstalled features... Gateway may or may not work the same...
You may end up with just one set that does everything..
It might not hurt to create an image using the Windows process either...
You wouldn't need to make any of the Repair\Installation Media until, and if, is was ever needed...
The Windows System Image feature just saved my bacon a couple of days ago...
I had Acronis Images, but when I tried to use one I found the Tablet needed to restart for Acronis to do it's thing... Which is why I normally use the bootable version like you are doing in the first place...
To my surprise, the UEFI Bios would not let Acronis boot the Tablet to complete the Recovery... It would also not boot from any other type of Acronis bootable media either..
If I would not have made an image with the Windows feature, I would now have a dead, useless Tablet...
BTW... When you RECOVER your FULL image, you don't have to recover all of the partitions... For instance, you could just choose the EFI and Windows...
You most likely only need those two for the machine to boot and function...
You might lose your ability to use some of Windows Recovery features though..
Oh, so Acronis will reduce the amount of empty space on the partition so that the partitions will fit on the drive it is going to. Good. Then when I can turn my time and attention to that, I will do that. It is the only way I can test an image to make sure it is good and not corrupted.
I eventually would expect to have the 8.1 full partitions image, a 10 full partition image, and a partition large enough to allow either to be Recovered to it to make sure it works. Of course, I can't make sure unless the external will boot - I suspect it will. The bios allow me to put it in the proper order of boot devices, so I have to think it will boot if it is set up as GPT, which the UEFI OS requires.
And I guess I might as well kill out the files-only image, as useless.
Hi,
To be safe it might be a good idea to make your partition 125GB or so, but 100 would probably work... You actually wouldn't need to Recover the 15GB partition at all for the test...
Recovering to a Partition on the same drive as the image is stored is a bit slower than Recovering to a different drive.. This is because the one drive has to both Read and Write, instead one or the other... just so you don't wonder what's taking so long...
I personally would have no use for the "Files" image... And the only reason it is smaller is because it didn't image the 15GB partition...
Let me know how things go...
Yes, I agree about making the partition a bit larger - and was planning to. Yes, a good 125 GB. I previously was figuring that out when I was thinking of cloning files, and figure 125-135.
I understand what you are saying about all those partitions. However, I figure they were put there for a reason, even if extra rather and required. I don't know what it is, but I figure I should have it if it is available.
This imagining, and on this newer, higher powered machine, if three times as fast as cloning my smaller 80 GB Mac drive. So, if Recovering to the same drive will be slower, it will still seem fast to me. :)
